The best smart watches of 2023

December 28, 2023

Smartwatches have quietly become one of the must-have personal devices for any modern person. Being a wearable device is an easy way to enter a person's life, become part of their routine, and eventually get under their skin. Many people are accustomed to wearing a watch (or bracelet) during the day, and with sleep and health tracking on watches constantly improving these days, we continue to wear them at night as well.

Everyone is making a smartwatch and they're all good these days. But some are better than others – here's our list of the best games released this year.

Apple Watch Series 9

It's no surprise that the ubiquitous Apple Watch is first on the list. The latest version, the Series 9, added the faster S9 SiC, which enables a double-tap gesture, and Siri on the device. The screen is brightest at 2,000 nits.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is simply the best watch for most iPhone users – that simple.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

But if you want the best watch ever for iPhone users, you should get the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The newer model has a customizable action button, a more tactile rotating crown for easier gloved use, the same faster S9 SiC with a double-tap gesture, and on-device Siri , and track the exact orientation of the device using iPhone 15.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

Samsung consistently makes some of the best Android smartwatches, and the Galaxy Watch6 is the latest and greatest. The newer model has a larger 0.1-inch display (and smaller 0.1-inch bezels) in the same body. The rest is practically lifted from the Watch5 – the sapphire crystal protecting the screen, the 5nm SoC (although it's 930 versus 920), and Google Wear OS 4 with One UI Watch 5.

Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic

The Samsung Galax Watch6 Classic made a triumphant return of the rotating bezel after a year's absence, expanded the display into the dial, and that was it. It's Samsung's best watch of 2023 but we can't help but regret that Samsung didn't make the Watch6 Pro – rotating bezel aside, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro is a better watch than the Watch6 Classic.

Huawei Watch GT4

All the watches we mentioned above have one thing in common – they only last a few days on a charge – or just one thing in Apple's case. That's where the Huawei Watch GT 4 comes in. Huawei touts two weeks of battery life – we got close to a week in our review, which isn't bad at all. The Huawei Watch GT 4 has good specs, looks great, and just costs 269 ​​euros. You do lose some smarts compared to Samsung's Google Wear OS watches, but for sleep, health, and workout tracking, the Huawei Watch is great.

Xiaomi watch 2 pro

Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro is a great smartwatch. It's among the few devices with dual-band GPS and we found it excellent for tracking in our review. We got two full days out of the Google Wear OS 4 watch and that's nothing to scoff at. The best thing about the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro is the price – €270 gets you a great watch. However, it's hard to find one in stores right now.

Google Pixel Watch 2

The Google Pixel Watch 2 is a unique offering thanks to its pebbled design and smaller-than-usual size. It is nice to look at and easy to use. Fitbit faithful will love the full Fitbit integration. The Pixel Watch 2 has a fast Qualcomm SW5100 processor and lasts longer than its predecessor, and it's included with a Pixel 8 Pro purchase in Europe and the US, likely putting it in more people's pockets.

Garmin Fino 3S

Garmin has a place on any list of the best smartwatches, and the Venu 3S is its latest competitor to the traditional smartwatch. It has an AMOLED display, Garmin's powerful feature set and tracking options, and can last more than a week. But it's expensive 440 euros.

Amazfit GTR 4

The Amazfit GTR 4 is just an easy recommendation 215 euros. It has a 1.43-inch curved AMOLED display, a stainless steel housing, and can run for up to 14 days on a single charge – durable!

Mobvoy TechWatch Pro 5

The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 is expensive (360 euros) But three days of battery life is impressive for a Wear OS 4 watch. It has Qualcomm's fastest Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor and one of the best selections of watch faces.